breaker

5

"Good morning. The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' time. As a result, your mission will be moved up one week, in order to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation."

Warlock welcomes us back into the hangar with some grave news. My stomach drops to my feet as I hear the news of the missions new date.

"Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course, except Breaker," Coyote counters the admiral.

"Nevertheless, you've been ordered to move on. Captain," Warlock hands it over to Maverick.

"We have one week left to focus on phase two. It's the most difficult stage of the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a steep dive, requiring nothing less that two consecutive miracles. Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork. Precise coordination of these aircraft is essential to both the missions success and your survival."

He continues.

"As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. On final approach, you'll invert directly into a steep dive. This allows you to maintain the lowest possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide. The two-seater aircraft will paint the target with a laser bull's-eye. The first pair will breach the reactor by dropping a laser-guided bomb on an exposed ventilation hatch. This will create an opening for the second pair. That's miracle number one."

Everyone looks around at one another, in shock, that this is about to become a reality. Maverick continues.

"The second team will deliver the kill shot and destroy the target. That's miracle number two. If either team misses the target, the mission is a failure. Egress is a steep high-G climb out to avoid hitting this mountain."

"A steep climb at that speed, your pulling at least 8G's," Hangman points out.

"9. Minimum," Maverick corrects him.

"The stress limit of the F-18's airframe is 7.5," Rooster throws out.

"That's the accepted limit. To survive this mission, you'll pull behind that. Even if it means bending your airframe. You'll be pulling so hard you'll weigh close to 2,000 pounds, your skull crushing your spine, your lungs imploding like an elephant's sitting on your chest. Fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out. And this is where you'll be at your most vulnerable. This is coffin corner."

No one speaks as the Captain explains the suicide mission's requirements to survive.

"Assuming you avoid crashing into this mountain, you'll climb straight up into enemy radar while loosing all of your airspeed. Within seconds, you'll be fired upon by enemy SAMs. You've all faced sustained G's before but this- this is gonna take you and your aircraft to the breaking point."

Maverick sighs as he finishes his speech. Everyone looks around, not daring to ask the question that all lingers between them. Finally Phoenix break the silence.

"Sir, is this even achievable?"

"The answer to that question will come down to the pilot in the box."

Dead silence overcomes the room, before Maverick has the students go out in teams, to fly the course in their nav systems. First up, Coyote, Phoenix and Bob.

"Talk to me, Bob," Phoenix's voice rings out over comma, as I sit by the radio listening to their flight.

"We are 12 seconds late on target. We gotta move! We gotta move!"